The teacher banged his fist against the desk, his jaw ticking as he pointed at her. “Take it off now,” he growled. Liquid fear bubbled in her stomach as reality dawned on her—the teacher was serious. She didn’t know what he’d do to her if she didn’t comply. But the teacher should have known who her dad was before deciding to single her out like this. He stalked closer, his burning gaze focused on her.
“Maddie, I said take the hat off!”
But she stammered, ready to plead her case. She couldn’t do what the teacher was asking, not today of all days. She was still reeling from the medicine pumping through her body, from the pain that had now become a part of her young life. She had barely made it to school today and didn’t have the energy to take on such a confrontation head-on. Couldn’t the teacher at least hear her case out?
“Maddie Dunham!” The teacher took a deep breath as he walked to her. Her lips quivered where she sat, her fingers twisting together with them. Pain and fear had melded into one within her, rendering her frozen. The teacher reached her vicinity, anger painted all over him.
“I won’t repeat myself!” he roared. With one swift move, he reached for her cap, yanking it off her head. Gasps filled the atmosphere as the truth was finally revealed. The only thing Maddie could wish for now was for the end to be swift and painless.
But for Maddie, this semester was supposed to be different. The last two years had been agonizing for her, and she’d wished, with everything that she was, that things would improve. For the first time in a long time, she felt like her wish was finally being answered. The pain she’d been suffering through had subsided, and Maddie could finally go back to school. She had no idea what awaited her there, but for her, wearing that hat wasn’t a choice she relished. She’d hoped for something different, something that wouldn’t expose her and her deepest insecurities like this.
Sitting in that chair, she watched as the entire class stared at her—some of them giggling while others were awash with pity. She was finding out how unfair the world was. And to think, it all started with a birthday party.
Maddie’s issue started on her best friend’s birthday two years prior. Everything was going great until a sharp pain struck her chest. Only 11 years old, she didn’t know what was happening. She looked around, wide-eyed, thinking one of her friends had accidentally jammed a knife through her, but everyone was busy with the festivities, unaware of what she was going through. But it would only get worse from there. The second jolt of pain came, this one worse than the first. Maddie yelped, her hands jumping to her chest where the pain originated. The third hit her—a wave of agony that swept from her feet up to her shoulders. She spiraled onto the floor as the pain settled in her brain. She couldn’t explain what was going on, but she knew her life would never be the same.
Maddie woke up to find bright white lights above her. She was lying on bright blue sheets, dressed in a similarly colored gown. Her mom was seated beside her, tears covering her eyes, as a strange man dressed in a white coat spoke to her. They all kept quiet when they realized Maddie was awake. Although Maddie was only 11 years old, she understood the gravity of the situation. She knew her mom to be among the strongest people in the world. Seeing her shed tears like this could only mean something terrible had occurred.
“What’s happening, Mommy?” Maddie asked, and her mother explained everything.
“You’ll be fine,” she insisted midway through her explanation. “You and I will beat this thing, okay?”
What Maddie had suffered from was an overwhelming spike of pain caused by a disorder known as chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, a disease associated with children. It results in the inflammation of the patient’s bones and is usually accompanied by chronic pain. Hearing her mom explain everything tore Maddie apart because in the woman’s voice, she could hear one thing—failure. Her mother looked at her like she’d already lost her. How bad was this disease? Couldn’t Maddie beat it? She remembered the pain and how bad it was. It had caused her body to shut down, seemingly from shock. Would this be her life now?
She should have known that things would only get worse from here.
The doctor enrolled Maddie in a program to help stabilize her condition. This saw a complete shift in the 11-year-old’s lifestyle. First, she visited the hospital twice weekly, getting shots meant to keep the chronic pain at bay while also mending her bones. Second, the doctor advised her mom to limit her time outside, insisting that Maddie needed her rest. Third, Maddie saw less of her mom since the hospital bills were outstanding, and she needed to take on more shifts at her nursing job to sustain them.
But this was only the beginning.
Maddie had never really been close to her dad. He’d separated from her mom when she was still a baby and would only see her on special days, like her birthday. But now that she was sick, the man dropped by whenever he felt like it. He’d bring her gifts and tell her stories from around the world, seemingly wanting to bond with her. Would Maddie ever forgive him for leaving?
Although Maddie’s dad was trying his best to be in her life, the girl hated that her condition was the only reason he acted this way. Where was he when things were good? Why hadn’t he ever shown the same level of concern? She didn’t even know what he did for a living. Although Maddie didn’t outright tell him to leave, she always spaced out whenever he walked through the front door, wanting to see her. She had no idea that he’d be the one to save her down the road.
Most patients with Maddie’s disorder are usually incurable, but for others, treatment is possible. Often, treatment lasts months or years. Half of the children battling it respond well to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which help them regain full health. The doctors put Maddie on the needed medication, hoping her body would respond positively. But although this was great news, it came with a terrible side effect that would leave Maddie’s life in shambles…
